ABOUT
I provide legal and consulting services, including legal research, publishing, design, writing, and editing. I graduated from Swarthmore College with Honors and obtained my law degree from New York University School of Law.
Through my company TNT Content & Design, I collaborate with psychologist and artist Dr. Tracy Steen. Our projects include editing, publishing, and selling Judge Bernstein on Evidence, a comprehensive survey of Pennsylvania evidence law by the Hon. Mark I. Bernstein (Ret.). I co-author the annual revision. The book is used by hundreds of judges across the state, and lawyers call it “an essential resource for the courtroom.”
The art exhibit “Monument,” which I produced with Dr. Steen, received a Social Media Leadership Award from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania’s school of business. Knowledge@Wharton recognized Monument as an example of how to use social media to promote a more unified world.
As an attorney, my experience has involved complex appellate and trial litigation, including product liability mass torts, as well as pro bono advice to Philadelphia’s political watchdog organization, the Committee of Seventy. I was a law clerk in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with the Hon. William H. Yohn, Jr.
To contact me, please feel free to email me at info@lincolntom.com.
PROJECTS
JUDGE BERNSTEIN ON EVIDENCE
Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence with Comments & Annotations by the Hon. Mark I. Bernstein with Thomas A. Lincoln--otherwise known as “Judge Bernstein on Evidence"--is a comprehensive survey of Pennsylvania evidence law.
I co-author the book for each annual revision. Lawyers call it "an essential resource for the courtroom,” and it is used by hundreds of judges across the state.
We now offer the book in two handy sizes: (1) a one-volume 8.5” x 11” courtroom size for practitioners on the go and (2) a two-volume set in the original convenient academic size, 6” x 9".
You can purchase a copy below, with free online access. Tax-exempt orders may be made online here. Bulk orders of 5 to 15 copies are entitled to a 10% discount. The discount is 25% for orders of 15 or more. To order in bulk, or for any other information or requests, please contact me at info@lincolntom.com.
THE TRIALS OF A COMMON PLEAS JUDGE
Coming in 2024, the long-awaited formal publication of The Trials of a Common Pleas Judge, complete with its surprising final chapters.
The novel includes an introduction I wrote about the author, the Hon. Mark I. Bernstein (Ret.). The story recounts his astonishing travel in time to the Philadelphia of 1913. During a long trial in the hot summer of 1991, Judge Bernstein loses consciousness, slips underneath his bench, and wakes up in the middle of the political machine of the city’s past.
With no conceivable way to return to his time, Judge Bernstein has only his wits to navigate the corruption, hypocrisy, and pigheaded inefficiency ingrained in-long ago city politics. But how will he ever get home (if he even wants to), and are forces lurking that could end his ride for good?
I edited the book and designed the cover. Each chapter is accompanied by one of Tracy Steen’s photographs of little-noticed aspects of Philadelphia and its surroundings, especially City Hall.
RANA AND MARON ROOSEVELT
Our portrait of Rana and Maron Roosevelt as angels was on display at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral as part of their Fourth Biennial Diocesan Invitational Art Exhibit. Thank you to everyone for coming to the Artists’ Reception and to the tremendous generosity of the Cathedral for sharing their beautiful space.
As I was finishing this painting, I encountered the following translation of Daniel 10:16 (ESV), where the prophet is given strength by the angel Gabriel: “And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips.”
The portrait was inspired by the painter and naturalist Abbott Thayer, for whom angels were a recurring theme. Coincidentally, as I was conducting research for the portrait, I also discovered the strong connection between Thayer and Theodore Roosevelt. The two engaged in sometimes daily correspondence and a vicious, extended public debate over the evolutionary reasons for animal coloration.
ANGEL
Our mural on the side of Trinity Memorial Church was featured in Philly street-art blog Streets Dept. I think the door was originally a coal chute. We added a slot for whatever you choose.
Thank you to Trinity for the opportunity and support and to Abbot Thayer for the inspiration. Also thank you to Elena Laskin for her jig saw, Rittenhouse Hardware for their good advice, NextFab Studios for their table saw and generosity, and Blick Art Materials for their wise observations about paints and varnishes.
MONUMENT
In this exhibit, Dr. Steen and I explored the meaning of monuments. Who among us is worthy of a monument? How can we best memorialize great actions and great people? Should monuments have an expiration date?
PRESS
STREETS DEPT COVERS ANGEL
Philly street-art blog Streets Dept, featured the angel we installed on the side of Trinity Memorial Church. Under the headline “Have Y’all Spotted Tom Lincoln’s Little 'Angel’ Mural in Rittenhouse Square?”, the article compliments the mural’s “fine detail and painterly qualities.” “I really like this little mural,” says the author, Conrad Benner, “It made me smile to see online, and it certainly didn’t disappoint to see in person.” Streets Dept also featured the angel on Instagram.
ALPHA & OMEGA VIDEO
As part of our art, design, and consulting business, TNT Content & Design, Dr. Tracy Steen and I created a video highlighting the judicial career of the Hon. Mark I. Bernstein (Ret.). The video was played as part of the official judicial portrait unveiling ceremony held at Philadelphia’s City Hall, commemorating and celebrating Judge Bernstein’s nearly 30 years on the bench of the Court of Common Pleas. The ceremony, which TNT Content & Design helped to advertise and promote, was packed with well-wishers.
WHARTON NATION BRAND CONFERENCE
For the Wharton Nation Brand Conference, I was featured in the highlight video produced by conference sponsor SAP. In addition, as Director of the conference, I conducted a podcast interview for Knowledge@Wharton of Dr. Erel Margalit, a member of Israel’s Knesset and the founder of the venture capital fund Jerusalem Venture Partners. We discussed Margalit’s vision for Arab-Israeli entrepreneurial cooperation in the Middle East and the potential for that cooperation to foster peace.
I was also quoted in a number of Knowledge@Wharton articles about nation branding in the lead up to the conference: “What Are the Best Countries for Women?”; “The Best Country for Entrepreneurs Is...”; and “Nation Branding: Perception Can Be Reality — So Manage It.”
Headline speakers at the conference included Prof. Reibstein of the Wharton School; Prof. Philip Kotler of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management; Brian Wong, Vice President of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba; Amitabh Kant, CEO of India’s nation branding institution NITI Aayog; Ambassador Ashok Mirpuri, Singapore’s ambassador to the United States; Maggie Chan Jones, Chief Marketing Officer of SAP; and Ambassador Ido Aharoni, former Consul General of Israel to New York and founder of Brand Israel.
WHARTON MAGAZINE
Wharton Magazine (the alumni magazine of the Wharton School) published an article I wrote titled “Brazil’s Two Brands.” The article examined Brazil’s conflicting brand identities: “beautiful, sexy, and fun vs. poor, corrupt, and out-of-control.” Timely in light of the impeachment of Brazil’s President Dilma Rouseff and in advance of the Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, the article analyzed how Brazil could improve its brand based on the Best Countries rankings produced by U.S. News & World Report, WPP’s BAV Consulting, and Wharton Professor David J. Reibstein.
THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
The Daily Pennsylvanian, the newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania, quoted me in its article titled “The world’s countries, ranked -- by Wharton.” The paper referenced me and TNT Content & Design for our work on the inaugural Best Countries rankings with U.S. News & World Report, WPP's BAV Consulting, and Wharton Professor David J. Reibstein. The team released the rankings at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.